Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m Roti, a creator based in LA. I’m not a classically trained chef, but I have been cooking for as long as I can remember. I like to say that I went to the school of “Grammy’s Kitchen.”
I believe food is about community. For me that means hosting and cooking for my family and friends to celebrate all the big and small moments in our lives.
How do you cultivate creativity in your daily life?
Cooking has become a huge creative outlet for me. When I go to the grocery store I choose what looks good, smells good, what my eyes feel most excited about. From there, I kind of like to freestyle. I love going home with a beautiful piece of produce and not knowing exactly what dish it will end up being until I'm piling it on a plate.
What is inspiring you this summer?
This summer I've been loving the outdoors. There’s a new puppy in my life so I’ve been pushed to do a lot more things outside of the house. Now it's all I want to do; sit outside, walk outside, eat outside. Nature is a huge inspiration for me right now.
How would you describe your hosting style?
Warm. I want people to feel right at home. I take lingering guests as the biggest compliment.
Do you have a favorite summer recipe you could share?
Yes. My favorite summer recipe, and maybe my favorite of all time, is my corn focaccia. It's an ode to my favorite summer ingredient and you can find it on my Flavor Garden Substack. 
How do you approach creating the menu for a dinner party? What does your process look like?
There are three main things that go into menu planning for me: seasonality, guests, and convenience. Produce is best when it's in season and I always keep that at the forefront of planning.
I also believe that hosting is about making people feel good. If one of my guests loves a specific dish of mine, I'll add it to the menu, if there’s an ingredient they rave about I’ll try to create a dish with it. I want people to feel cared for after they leave my table.
Last is convenience. The thing people don't talk about enough is how hard it can be to be a good host and put out hot food. I find it's best to plan for a few cold dishes and a few dishes that can be prepped a full day ahead of hosting. It makes for a smoother party for myself and my guests. 
Can you describe your dream dinner party? Who is invited, what are you serving, what music is playing?
I think it’d be me and my family on a farm somewhere. I’m not sure what I'm serving but I love the idea of harvesting ingredients and then taking a short walk to the kitchen to prepare them. Preferably somewhere with a view and Sade playing softly in the background.
What are the most important things you think about when having people in your home?
A candle, a clean bathroom, and a welcome drink are my must-haves. 
Can you tell us about a special memory or something that you’ve always kept with you from a dinner party - either your own or one you attended?
I think I might have too many to choose from. My love of hosting comes from my mom who hosted huge parties every weekend after church. Those afternoons being around family and friends hold all of my favorite childhood memories. Whenever I host, I think I'm chasing that feeling guests had in my home growing up. The food was always a spectacular potluck-style feast curated by my mom, grandma, and aunties. People would stay for hours after eating and beg to take leftovers home with them.
What’s the vibe after everyone finishes eating? Do you linger at the table, play a game, change the setting?
I am a firm believer in setting change. There’s something I hate about sitting around a table with dirty dishes. I’ll direct people to the living room, and everyone sort of just settles in and gets cozy. From there it's just comfortable continued conversation - typically this is my favorite part of the party.
Dishes the night of, or the morning after?
Night of always. My girls are really good about helping with clean-up which is one of the many reasons why I love hosting them.
Get Roti's Year & Day Look
Dune Serving Set
Dune Everyday Tablecloth
Midnight Everyday Napkins
Midnight Mixing Bowl Set
Moon Big Plates
Matte Gold Serving Fork & Spoon
